Every summer my wife and I grow rosemary in our garden. And, every summer I ask myself, “What am I going to do with all that rosemary?” Well, thick sprigs of rosemary make perfect skewers for grilling foods like meat, chicken, shrimp and such, imparting subtle hints of rosemary along the way. You just strip off some of the rosemary from the sprigs and use the “naked” part of … [Read more...]
Linguine with Pancetta and Clams
I sort of think of this recipe as linguine with white clam sauce meets carbonara, since it adds pancetta or bacon (normally found in carbonara) to the clam sauce. It gives the sauce a slightly smoky flavor that normal clam sauce doesn’t have. Ingredients: 1 pound dried good quality linguine 2 Tbsp olive oil 4 oz. pancetta or dry-cured smoky bacon, minced 1 large … [Read more...]
Thai Basil & Chili Chicken
This year my wife and I planted Thai chilies and Thai basil in our garden, which are perfect for this dish but you can also find them in Asian food markets. This is a delicious, spicy stir-fry that’s called pad kra pao gai in Thailand. It’s a hugely popular street food there and is typically served with a side of fried egg. This recipe makes two large servings of Thai Basil … [Read more...]
Grilled Greek-Style Chicken Skewers
The weather is perfect these days for summer grilling and this is one of my favorite grilled chicken recipes. It’s based on a recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod - chicken skewers with chicken seasoned in a Greek-style marinade. It’s really simple and delicious. Ingredients: 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 4 cloves … [Read more...]
Pork Tenderloin Vindaloo
When I was a graduate student on a small budget living in NYC, I frequently ate cheap meals at my favorite Indian restaurant called Curry Mahal. And my go-to dish there was spicy chicken vindaloo. Vindaloo is an Indian curry which originated in Goa and traditionally uses pork in the recipe. But these days you see vindaloo with chicken, shrimp, beef, lamb, fish, veggies and … [Read more...]
Cod Piccata
I love lemony piccata sauce and I often serve it with pork, veal or chicken. But it’s also delicate enough to use with seafood. Here I smothered cod fillets in piccata sauce, but you could substitute any white flesh fish or shrimp if you’d like. Ingredients: 4 cod fillets 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room … [Read more...]
Grilled Shrimp & Tomato Skewers
I love shrimp skewers from the grill in summertime. And nothing is better than adding some freshly picked garden tomatoes to those skewers. This recipe is super easy but totally delicious. You just marinate the shrimp and tomatoes for a few minutes, then skewer the ingredients and grill em’. Ingredients: 1 lb. large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined 12 oz. cherry … [Read more...]
Chile-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloins are so easy to cook and they cook very quickly, as well. So I often turn to pork tenderloin when I don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen. The key to cooking this cut of meat is to not overcook it. Tenderloins can get dry and tough very quickly, so pay close attention to the temperature of the meat as it cooks. You could serve this pork with salsa or … [Read more...]
No-Cook Restaurant Style Salsa Recipe
I love chips and salsa. However, I’ve yet to find store bought salsa that is anywhere near as good as that which most Mexican restaurants serve. Well, here is a salsa recipe that I really like for making restaurant style salsa without having to cook anything at all! Ingredients: 1 14.5 oz. can whole tomatoes, with juice 1 10 oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes with green … [Read more...]
Risotto with Taleggio Cheese
This is one of my favorite risotto recipes. It’s rich and creamy, made with Taleggio cheese - a semi-soft, washed-rind cow’s milk cheese from Italy named after the alpine valley in the Lombardy region called Val Taleggio. It melts well, which makes it perfect for risotto. Ingredients: 2 Tbsp butter 1 shallot, peeled and minced 12 oz. arborio or carnaroli rice ½ … [Read more...]